Former Democratic state leaders will sue Ohio Republican lawmakers if they go ahead with their plan to use $600 million of Ohioans’ unclaimed funds to pay for a new Cleveland Browns stadium.
In what plaintiffs call an unconstitutional and illegal funding scheme, the Legislature’s proposed final budget allows the state to use $600 million in unclaimed funds for a new Browns stadium in Brook Park.
Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann and former state Rep. Jeff Crossman announced June 25 they will immediately file a lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court if the plan passes.
“This is not state property,” Crossman said during a news conference. “These funds belong to all those hard-working Ohioans across the state with forgotten savings accounts, uncashed checks or overpaid utility bills.”
On behalf of three unnamed Cuyahoga County residents and other Ohioans with unclaimed funds, Crossman and Dann said they will file a class action lawsuit against Treasurer Robert Sprague and officials in the Ohio Department of Commerce for violating Ohioans’ due process and private property rights.
“There are many scandals in this budget, but none deeper than blatantly violating people’s constitutional rights,” Crossman said. “Sen. (Jerry) Cirino has remarked that he claims he has a legal opinion on making this legal. I would like to see that.”
Cirino, R-Kirtland, previously told the statehouse bureau that the plan is on solid legal ground. Attorney General Dave Yost said Crossman and Dann are wrong and will lose if they sue.
“Wow. We haven’t even received the budget bill yet, let alone the Governor having signed it,” said Dan Tierney, a spokesperson for Gov. Mike DeWine. “But given that the former Attorney General gave us the Sunshine Express, his need for speed shouldn’t be surprising.”
In addition to $600 million for the Brook Park stadium, the budget would set aside $400 million for other stadium projects and $700 million for purposes that are currently unclear.
The funding plan was originally proposed by the Ohio Senate. The House proposal involved paying for the stadium with $600 million in bonds − which would cost up to $1 billion over 25 years − while DeWine wanted to double the sports gaming tax to pay for this and other projects.
Crossman said he hasn’t reviewed the two other proposals in great detail, but he thinks they are both less susceptible to legal challenges than the plan slated to pass.
“It’s a pretty good deal: $300,000 in contributions for $600 million in other people’s money to go to the stadium,” Dann said. “This isn’t just a bad idea, it’s an abuse of legislative power, and it’s one more example of what happens when accountability breaks down in Columbus.”
What’s next for the Browns stadium funding proposal?
Once passed, the budget will go to DeWine for his signature and potential vetoes. The governor has not openly commented on whether he supports the use of unclaimed funds for the Browns stadium.
“If they pass this proposal, we’re warning the Legislature − they’re getting a lawsuit,” Crossman said. “The governor has the right to veto it out of the budget. They should go back to the drawing board. Better yet, tell these billionaires to pay for their own private stadiums.”
State government reporter Haley BeMiller contributed.
Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at ewozniak@dispatch.com, or @emma_wozniak_ on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Former Ohio leaders say they will sue over Browns stadium plan using unclaimed funds
Reporting by Emma Wozniak, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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